List of 20 Best St. Louis Blues Prospects Released

Every year Hockey’s Future releases their list of the best prospects from each organization. Despite the lockout killing off half of 2012-13 (so far), the site still followed through with publishing their rankings of each club’s prospects. As with any other list or rankings, there’s plenty of information to dissect here.

Not surprisingly, Vladimir Tarasenko leads the way, claiming the top spot. I sincerely doubt you’ll be able to find any fans out there that could make a solid argument against Tarasenko being in the number one spot. He’s been a stud over in the KHL and when the lockout finally ends he should be a stud here in the NHL.

Jaden Schwartz checks in at the second spot. Schwartz already has some NHL experience but the bulk of his experience comes with the Peoria Rivermen in the AHL. It’s clear he’s talented and could have a high ceiling, but it’s unclear when/how his skill will translate at the NHL level.

At the third spot is one of the team’s newest and potentially most exciting prospects, Ty Rattie. Rattie has absolutely torn up the WHL and is currently with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. His talent is immense but fans would be wise to take all of his successes with a bit of salt. It’s safe to label Rattie as a top and exciting prospect but it’s far too early to make any large generalizations on what he might do in the NHL. Rattie needs to be tested at a higher level, such as the AHL, before we get a clear idea of what Rattie might be able to do in the NHL.

Ian Cole comes in at #4. If you’ve been following the Blues you know all about Cole and what he can do.

The fifth spot is where we find our first controversial decision. Jake Allen. Oh, Jake Allen, what are we supposed to do with you? For quite some time the chant was “Free Jake Allen” as the prospect saw limited time thanks to Ben Bishop’s presence in the Peoria net. However, after the Blues dealt Bishop and Allen was able to claim the starting job, his numbers tumbled further, raising several red flags.

As the article notes, Allen’s development has been patchy. He has had promising starts but he’s also had starts where he’s looked lost. Allen needs to improve his game if he hopes to make the Top-5, or even the Top-10 list next year.